Dispenser for lubricants



Dec. 24, 1957 J. LIPINSKI DISPENSER FOR LUBRICANTS Filed, July 11. 1955 U .INVENTOIL' 2102135 United tates Patent i DISPENSER FOR LUBRICANTS Johann Lipinski, Pressbaum, near Vienna, Austria, as-

signor to Alex. Friedmaun Kommanditgesellschaft, Vienna, Austria Application July 11, 1955, Serial No. 521,295

Claims priority, application Austria July 24, 1954 7 Claims. (Cl. 222-212) This invention relates to a dispenser for lubricants, which is connected to a temporarily pressurized inlet conduit and comprises a reservoir for receiving the quantity of lubricant to be dispensed.

Dispensers of this type are known per se. It is an object of the invention to increase the functional reliability of such dispensers and to reduce their cost of manufacture by minimizing the number of components and simplifying their construction and operation as far as possible. The metering element according to the invention is substantially characterized by a member of resiliently deformable sealing material such as rubber or the like, which tightly encloses the mouth of the inlet conduit and when deformed under the pressure in the inlet conduit bears against the inside wall of the reservoir and acts as a piston. According to the invention the construction is such that the resiliently deformable member which tightly encloses the mouth of the inlet conduit is formed between its sealing part and the mouth of the inlet conduit with a resiliently deformable Wall portion, which acts like a piston against the inside wall of the storage space under the action of the pressure building up at the sealing point. Desirably the resiliently deformable member is slidably mounted and is slidingly guided by means of its sealing part at the externally cylindrical inlet conduit in the axial direction of the cylindrical reservoir Whereas the resiliently deformable member is under the action of an elasti-c pressure means, such as a return spring, which tends to move the resiliently deformable member into its position of rest.

In the dispenser constructed according to the invention the resiliently deformable member performs two functions, serving on the one hand as a non-return valve closing the inlet conduit and being inflated on the other hand when the pressure rises in the main feed line and in the inlet conduit so that the periphery of the member is expanded and bears against the inside wall of the reservoir. At this point the resiliently deformable member acts as a piston urging the quantity of lubricant to be dispensed into the outlet conduit. Upon a rise of pressure in the inlet conduit the resiliently deformable member will thus be displaced against the action of the return spring and at the same time it will act as a thrust piston owing to its inflation. Upon a drop of the pressure in the feed line the resiliently deformable member will be returned to its position of rest by the action of the resilient pressure means, such as the return spring, and will operate at the same time as a displacing piston. To avoid a return flow of the lubricant contained in the reservoir into the inlet conduit it is desirable to form that part of the resiliently deformable member which surrounds the inlet conduit like a cup.

The invention is diagrammatically illustrated in the drawings with reference to exemplary embodiments.

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional View showing a dispenser constructed according to the invention.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a modification of the dispenser of Fig. 1.

2,817,462 Patented Dec. 24, 1957 The dispenser 1 is provided with an inlet conduit 2 and a connection 3 for the conduit (not shown) which leads to the point of lubrication. The connection 3 is provided with an outlet conduit 3'. The inlet conduit 2 communicates with an inlet tube 4 situated in the interior of a reservoir 5. The mouth 6 of the inlet tube 4 is enclosed by a resiliently deformable member 7, which is formed as an inflating piston and consists of a sealing material such as rubber, buna or the like and is longitudinally slidably mounted on the inlet tube. The end wall 8 of the resiliently deformable member applies against the mouth opening 6 of the tube 4 whereas the part surrounding the tube is formed like a cup 9. Inside the resilient member a return spring 10 is arranged, which bears at 11 on the inlet tube 4 and tends to move the resilient member into the position of rest shown in Fig. 1. If the pressure is increased in the feed line and in the inlet conduit 2 the member 7 will be resiliently deformed or inflated under the action of the overpressure so that its side wall applies against the inside wall of the reservoir 5. When moved upwardly under the influence of the overpressure in the inlet conduit 2 against the action of the return spring 10 the member 7 will urge the oil contained in the reservoir into the outlet conduit 3'. When the pressure drops in the inlet conduit the member 7 will return to its position of rest under the action of the return spring and the inflation of the member caused by the overpressure will be reduced so that the member acts only as a displacing piston, which causes the oil or lubricant which is contained in the reservoir 5 to be moved from the underside to the end face of the piston. A return flow of the oil into the inlet conduit is avoided by the cup portion 9 of the member 7 applying tightly against the inlet tube 4. To avoid damage to the resilient material of the member 7 as the mouth opening 3" is closed the resilient member 7 may be reinforced with a metal part 8 adapted to close the mouth opening 3". For the same reason this part 8' may extend. through the upper wall 8 of the member 7 and with its end lying inside the member 7 may form a stop for engaging the mouth opening 6 of the inlet tube 4 in order to limit the return stroke.

In the embodiment according to Fig. 1 the return spring 10 for returning the resiliently deformable member is arranged inside said member. That spring may also be arranged outside that member, e. g., as shown in Fig. 2, between the same and the casing of the dispenser 1 without an alteration in the function of the dispenser. In this case the return spring 10 will be held between a casing boss 12 surrounding the outlet conduit 3' and an extension 13 of the member 7. The extension 13 may be formed at the same time as a sealing face, which acts against the mouth opening 3 and closes the same in the upper end position of the member 7. The same construction is possible also for the dispenser of Fig. 1.

The quantity of lubricant discharged into the outlet conduit will depend on the stroke of the resiliently deformable member acting as an inflating piston. Thus the quantity of lubricant can be adjusted by a change in the stroke or by an adjustment of the position of rest of member 7. To this end the inlet conduit or the inlet tube 4 may be longitudinally adjustable, as is shown in Fig. 1. As the mouth of the inlet tube 4 approaches the mouth 3" of the outlet conduit 3 the quantity of lubricant dispensed per stroke will be reduced. According to Fig. 2 the arrangement may be such that the adjustment of the inlet conduit is replaced by the provision of an adjustable stop, for example, a thrust screw 14, whose respective position determines the position of rest or lower end position of the resiliently deformable member 7 The thrust screw 14 may be fixed in the desired position by a lock nut 15.

The dispensers shown in Fig. 1 or 2 function as follows:

The inlet conduit 2 is connected to a lubricant pump, which alternatingly pressurizes and after some time relieves the lubricant in the inlet conduit 2. As soon as the inlet conduit 2 is pressurized the lubricant is forced through the inlet tube 4 into the inner cavity of the hollow member 7. The cup 9 of the hollow member '"I encloses tightly the inlet tube 4 so that the hollow member 7 is inflated and bears tightly against the cylindrical inside wall of the reservoir 5 and the inflated hollow member 7 acts as a piston in the cylindrical reservoir 5. Under the pressure in the inlet conduit 2 the cup 9 is now also lifted to some extent from the inlet tube 4 and lubricant passes into the space below the hollow member 7 acting as a piston. Thus, the pressure of the lubricant supplied forces the hollow member 7 upwardly like a piston against the force of the spring It) or iii and the lubricant in the space above the hollow member 7 is forced through the outlet 3'. This is continued until the upper surface 8 (Fig. 1) or 13 (Fig. 2) has engaged and sealed the mouth of the outlet conduit 3". Now the stroke of the hollow member 7 acting as a piston has been terminated and the hollow member 7 remains in its uppermost position until a pressure relief period begins in the inlet conduit 2.

As soon as a pressure relief period begins in the inlet conduit 2 the lubricant pressure below the hollow member 7 acting as a piston is no longer sufficient to maintain said hollow member in its inflated position in which it seals against the cylinder wall of the reservoir 5. A gap clearance is formed between the hollow member 7 and the cylindrical wall of the reservoir 5 and the spring It or urges the hollow member 7 downwardly. In the meantime, the cup 9 has again become tightly applied against the inlet tube 4 and the lubricant in the space below the hollow member '7 cannot return to the inlet conduit 2 because the latter is sealed by the cup 9. For this reason the lubricant passes between the hollow member 7 and the cylindrical wall of the reservoir 5 from the space below the hollow member 7 into the space above the hollow member 7. As soon as the hollow member 7 has returned to the position shown in the drawing the downward stroke of the hollow member 7 has been completed. The space above the hollow member 7 in the reservoir 5 is again filled with lubricant and as soon as the inlet conduit 2 is again pressurized the next working stroke of the hollow member 7 is effected in the manner described, the quantity of lubricant in the space above the hollow member 7 in the reservoir 5 being again forced through the outlet 3 to the point of lubrication.

The quantity which is forced to the point of lubrication by each working stroke of the hollow member 7 is determined by the displacement of the hollow member 7 acting as a piston. In the illustrative embodiment according to Fig. 1, this displacement can be varied by pushing the inlet conduit 4, which determines the initial position of the hollow member 7 acting as a piston, to a higher or lower position. In the embodiment according to Fig. 2 the displacement of the hollow member 7 acting as a piston is varied by means of the thrust screw 14 determining a higher or lower level for the lowermost position of the hollow member 7.

What I claim is:

1. A lubricant dispenser for dispensing lubricant from a temporarily pressurized lubricant admission conduit comprising a reservoir adapted for the reception of the quantity of lubricant to be dispensed and having a cylindrical inner surface, an inlet leading from the said admission conduit to the said reservoir, a mouth of the said inlet within the said reservoir, a hollow member of resiliently deformable sealing material tightly surrounding the said mouth, the said hollow member having a Wall spaced from the said cylindrical inner surface, the said wall tightly bearing against the said cylindrical surface when the said inlet is pressurized to enable the said hollow member to perform a piston-like action.

2. A lubricant dispenser for dispensing lubricant from a temporarily pressurized lubricant admission conduit comprising a reservoir adapted for the reception of the quantity of lubricant to be dispensed and having a cylindrical inner surface, an inlet leading from the said admission conduit to the said reservoir, a pipe-like cylindrical member extending coaxially with the said cylindrical surface within the said reservoir connected to the said inlet and ending in a mouth, a hollow member of resiliently deformable sealing material having a collar tightly surrounding the said pipe-like member, the said hollow member having a wall spaced from the said cylindrical inner surface, the said wall tightly bearing against the said cylindrical surface when the said inlet is pressurized, the pressure forcing the said hollow member in the direction of the axis of the said cylindrical surface, the said hollow member acting as a piston sliding along the said cylindrical surface and being guided by the said collar on the said pipe-like cylindrical surface.

3. A lubricant dispenser for dispensing lubricant from a temporarily pressurized lubricant admission conduit comprising a reservoir adapted for the reception of the quantity of lubricant to be dispensed and having a cylindrical inner surface, an inlet leading from the said admission conduit to the said reservoir, a pipe-like cylindrical member extending coaxially with the said cylindrical surface within the said reservoir connected to the said inlet and ending in a mouth, a hollow member of resiliently deformable sealing material having a collar tightly surrounding the said pipe-like member, springing means forcing the said hollow member on the said mouth, the said hollow member having a wall spaced from the said cylindrical inner surface, the said wall tightly bearing against the said cylindrical surface when the said inlet is pressurized, the pressure forcing the said hollow member against the action of the said springing means, the said hollow member acting as a piston sliding along the said cylindrical surface and being guided by the said collar on the said pipe-like cylindrical member.

4. In a lubricant dispenser as claimed in claim 3, the said hollow member being formed as a cup.

5. In a lubricant dispenser as claimed in claim 3, the said hollow member having a sealing face tightly closing the said mouth when the said hollow member is forced by the said springing means to the said inlet.

6. In a lubricant dispenser as claimed in claim 3, means for axially adjusting the pipe-like cylindrical member in order to adjust the quantity of lubricant to be dispensed.

7. In a lubricant dispenser as claimed in claim 3, an adjustable stop for limiting the movement of the said hollow member which the said hollow member performs under the action of the said springing means in order to adjust the quantity of lubricant to be dispensed. V

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,707,993 Piquerez Apr. 9, 1929 1,930,280 Murphy Oct. 10, 1933 FOREIGN PATENTS 977,699 France Apr. 4, 1951 

